Jaw rest for violins



JAW REST FOR VIOLINS Filed Nov. 21, 1955 5 l6 WM 1. m C

M O H D llll 1/1 INVENTOR.

4 I 6 4- l W A TTORNEY Patented Apr. 20, 1937 UNITED STATES EATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a supplementary onepiece device or so-called rest for violins or the like musical instruments, and consists in providing for an improved smoothly rounded ridge 5 formation adapted uniformly to bear along and be firmly gripped behind the lower jaw-bone of a user in substantial alignment therewith while the violin is being held in its now generally accepted playing position. The forward edge of such ridge cooperates with a contiguous concave depression having an appropriate cross-sectional profile as taken lengthwise of the long axis of such instruments.

To this end, my jaw rest may be wholly offset to one side of the tail piece and supported by a narrow padded depending foot confined closely adjacent to the rear body edge of the violin. The inner ridge portion of said rest lying adjacent to said long axis, is made to terminate in a globular protuberance that allows for adequate throat clearance and whose shape is kept raised some distance above the violin belly portion when operatively positioned in place. Sloping forwardly away from such single ridge and the players neck, is an upturned warped surface arranged in an improved manner in that a certain region of said surface is herein so shaped as to constitute a concaved or the like cross sectionally arcuate depression substantially conforming to an incomplete cylindrical profile whose axis of generation is located obliquely with respect to the long axis of the violin and preferably heads forwardly to intersect a medial region of the tail piece.

As an important attribute contributing to comfort on part of the player, each linear element of such cylindrical surface is given a pronounced upward slope directed away from the associated tail piece and toward a contiguous ear lobe of the player. Such disposition establishes a natural and reasonably long contact with the jaw-bone that has in practice proven entirely comfortable to the player without need of any interposed cushioning agency such as a handkerchief. The concaved rest surface region is carried upwardly to approximately the same height as that given to the protruding ridge crown so as to tangentially merge therewith. The forward overhanging edge or lip region of my rest is set inwardly over the belly and kept freely spaced therefrom, and which lip region is preferably tapered off into a relatively fiat lip component that laterally overhangs its supporting foot without interfering with the free vibration of the instrument.

The rounded crown of said raised ridge lies approximately in a common plane and constitutes the sole upstanding protuberance of my warped rest surface to allow the same to be freely shifted into a most comfortable operative position while the violin is being played upon. When snugly fitted in place without any crossing or other interference, my elongated ridge becomes firmly imbedded inwardly of and lengthwise behind the players jaw bone irrespective of the size or configuration thereof. The superficial depression that laterally overhangs said ridge is preferably given an oval contour and the outermost lip region thereof lying forwardly of the major axis of such oval shape is kept relatively flat while the interposed semi-oval region is dished upwardly toward said ridge to provide for clearance.

Such improved ridge and lip disposition affords a high degree of comfort to the performer when the violin is held in a prescribed playing position in which the performers eyes may be kept directed straight ahead to facilitate the rapid reading of notes rather than requiring any abnormal axial twist of the neck or a fatiguing tilt of the head. The sounding board may herein be held horizontally level instead of slanting so as to obviate a vertical bow stroking for the e string, the long violin axis then being shifted obliquely with respect to the cited normal line of vision.

Although the prior art discloses certain superficially similar chin rests, my objective is to contrive a more perfectly shaped device of the character indicated that is especially intended for professional or the like prolonged use and which rest shall not appear cumbersome nor otherwise seriously detract from the fine appearance of a high class instrument to which it may be applied. Fastidious players usually resent any such defacement or interference with tone quality. A further aim of the present invention is to provide for a relatively inconspicuous embodiment of pleasing contour capable of fully achieving the desired results, and one that will naturally and therefore comfortably, fit behind the players jaw bone rather than the chin with the minimum of frictional slip. The upturned superficial shape of my rest obviates irritating flesh folds, inflammation or other contusions when the requisite moderate pressure is continuously exerted thereon over a protracted playing period. Said rest disposition and its surface contour is such that a violin may be properly held thereby in a forwardly extended playing position without requiring any substantial additional arm support to be applied at the neck of the instrument.

Reference is had to the accompanying one sheet of drawings which is illustrative of the preferred embodiment of my invention, and in which drawing:

Fig. 1 is a top rear plan portion of a violin showing the location of my jaw-bone rest operatively attached thereto.

Fig. 2 represents an enlarged upturned face view of said rest, while Figs. 3 and 4 respectively depict profile views as cross-sectionally taken along lines 33 and 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 illustrates a bottom view of the Fig. 2 disclosure.

Referring in detail to said drawing, [.0 denotes the belly or the upper sounding board of a violin whose rear perimetric contour may be conventionally rounded along an interconnecting body side wall I I. Superimposed on such belly portion is a tailpiece t2 of usual construction and my solid jaw rest or body I3 is preferably located to one side of said tail piece in the attached fashion shown. The unitary body of such rigid rest may be. fabricated in one piece from wood as ebony, or it may be moulded from a suitable rubber compound or the like material.

Said rest is herein given an inherently fine upturned superficial body contour that is admirably suited to prwent needs, being adapted to correctly fit under and alongside a players jawbone without undue fatigue or localized con tusion. As such, said rest may comprise an integral flat faced foot pad I4 that may be cushioned by a felt stripv whose arcuate contour protectively contacts a,- marginal region of the belly III. Superimposed upon said pad is an upturned ridge including a rounded terminal protuberance I5 having an overall height HI and which substantially even ridgelike elevation preferably extends outwardly away from the tail piece and around a. rear portion of the rest perimeter until the point 2I is reached. Sweeping forwardly from such ridge is a semi-oval shaped concavity I6. having a major axis A3 and which depression is herein superficially formed with a certain cross-sectional profile of the kind depicted in Figs. 3 and 4. Inthis body configuration, the shaded. semi-oval area designated 16, is prefer- 50 ably given a cylindrical formation having a radius R whose axis of generation C lies above the upturned rest surface and coincident with the direction AB and. makes an acute angle D with. respect to the long axis of the violin. The remaining semi-oval area may be slightly dished or kept substantially flat to constitute a relatively thin, forwardly overhanging lip portion II of my rest whose plane falls into approximate alignment with the major axisAB.

The foot pad It may be skewed with relation to the axis AB as indicated in Fig. 2. A portion of the cylindrical shape of the semi-oval contour I6 may overhang said pad rearwardly as at ISA. The linear slope given to the lowermost surface element cross-sectionally depicted in Fig. 3, preferably extends from a smaller height H2 that corresponds to the contiguous level of the tail piece, to one that is approximately twice as large, namely HI. This inclination is headed continuously upward in a direction away from the innermost low oval edge 20 of my rest lying adjacent to the tail piece and toward the relatively raised oval edge 2| lying outwardly away from said tail piece. All of the different component rest surfaces are intended to be merged into a smoothly warped jaw receiving shape of which the defined depressed cylindrical component constitutes a distinguishing characteristic. It will be observed that the outermost oval edge 2| is carried to an elevation that substantially stands at the same height given to my rounded ridge protuberance I5 when my rest is operatively applied to the marginal edge of a violin as in Fig. 1. The requirements of different players may be met by slightly modifying the obliquity of the axis AB in different rest models but when in service, the rest is fixedly attached to the belly II- without swivel eflect.

Said characteristic depression represents an important feature of the present invention in thatit provides for the desired non-fatiguing rest, shape which it is my purpose to devise. The outer vertical ridge edge may be apertured for the reception of angle shaped screw rod pairs such as I8: that cooperate with a conventional turn buckle I8, although this particular mode of rest attachment is not essential.

Having. described the characteristic structural aspects and refined shape ofmy rest, the advantages thereof are thought to be apparent to those skilled in this art, it being understood that I reserve the right to modify my preferred illustrative embodiment to meet commercial requirements, all without demrting from the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

In a jaw rest adapted.- to be overlappingly attached, to the curved mar inal belly region of a violin or the like instrument provided with a tail piece, a rest body located wholly to one side of the tail piece and comprising an upturned warped surface including a single ridge component having an areuate contour whose curvature is correlative to that of the marginal belly region with one ridge end projecting outwardly therebeyond and the other ridge end being inset with respect to said region and the crown of which ridge is elevated at a substantially uniform height above such belly region, and which warped surface further includes a cooperating component defined by a cylindrically concaved depression whose superficial perimetric outline is given a semi-oval shape having a rectilinear major axis arranged to incline upwardly away from the tail piece to merge tangentially with the outward projecting endportion of the ridge, a bowed perimetric portion of said semi-oval shape being nested within the arcuate ridge inmerged relationship and said superficial perimetric outline thence extending forwardly and downwardly from said crown to the aforesaid major axis andwhich axis constitutes the lowermost linear element of such cylindrical depression.

WILLIAM COAD. 

